Best TV for the Price

2014 continues to be a banner year for the television buyer. With Plasma TV now pretty much out of the picture the LED manufacturers are at war with each other to produce the biggest, least expensive TV you can buy. I have recently seen 65 inch LED TV’s all the way down to $899 for a JVC model. 50 inch models, now considered on the small side,
are down to $500 or less. 80 inch LED sets are now about $3,000 or less, dominated by Sharp. I believe the best manufacturers in order based on today’s competitive market ranked by picture quality are:
Sony
Panasonic
Followed by a group all about the same:
LG
Samsung
Toshiba
Vizio
Sharp
This is the first time I have recognized Vizio as a major manufacturer. In the past I found their product to be less than average. Today I have a different opinion; Vizio builds some very good televisions and they lead the industry with their sound bar, and integrated sound bar/surround system. If you want a very simple setup where you do not play DVD, Bluray or use cable or satellite, you simply use apps like Netflix and Amazon, etc.. Buying a Vizio smart TV with a Vizio sound bar is the simplest setup you can have. The TV volume will control the sound bar. When you shut off the TV the soundbar goes to sleep and when you turn on the TV and press volume up or down, the soundbar wakes up and works.. every time.
There still is a problem out there with video processing and TV’s inability to show detail in motion/action scenes. Do not judge a TV’s performance using cartoons and/or the slow video that is most often displayed at the big box stores. Insist on seeing ESPN or an action movie which will help you see the flaws that may be present.
Lastly, never buy a TV based on specifications. The best TV pictures I see out there today are 120 hz. That is not to say there are not exceptions…this is only a general observation of nominally priced sets, based on 30 years of looking at TV pictures in my clients’ homes.